Attacked?

[Ace POV]

The queen, guarded by a few men who didn't even need to be close to me for me to tell they were powerful, steadily made her way towards the location of the emperor and me. 

She had a smile on her face, her attention solely focused on the emperor. 

When I first saw her in the settlement, our eyes happened to meet, and she showed a huge expression of surprise on her face. She was likely wondering what I was doing in her settlement and how the encounter was so sudden. However, her focus shifted the moment she laid her eyes on the emperor, and she didn't look at me after that.

"What a weird woman," I thought as I shifted my gaze towards the emperor, who had a wide smile on his face. 

The emperor had his hands spread out as if he was inviting someone in for a hug, and indeed, he was inviting someone. It didn't take a genius to know who that person was.